This item from Florida is as surprising as it is rare: the story of a priest who truly gave of himself for a former parishioner.

From Florida Catholic:

Chances are, if you’ve ever had to hold your breath for more than a few seconds, you can imagine what it is like to fight for your life. Now imagine having the power to save the life of another human being.

When faced with that opportunity, Father Alfred Cioffi did not hesitate. He donated one of his kidneys to save the life of his friend and former parishioner, Margarita Chavez, whom he calls a “living, walking miracle.”

Two months later and doing just fine, Father Cioffi, recipient of the 2007 Archdiocese of Miami Respect Life Award, seeks to dispel common myths about living organ donations while encouraging others, especially priests and religious, to do the same.

Chavez, having been given a new lease on life, is now the respect life representative for her parish.

“There are many compelling reasons to promote living organ donations, since the demand is considerable,” said Father Cioffi. He explained that kidneys from living donors last twice as long as kidneys from cadavers — about 16 years compared to eight.

According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, about 100,000 people are waiting for kidneys in the United States alone; 15 to 17 of them die each day for lack of a donation.

Father Cioffi said this tragic situation is due in large part to a distorted perception of the risk involved in a living kidney donation. “In reality, the risk factor for a healthy donor is rather low.”

He compared the fear of donating a kidney to the fear of flying. “The actual risk of having a car accident is many, many times greater than when flying. Yet more people have a fear of flying rather than a fear of driving.” In fact, he said, according to Dr. Linda Chen, who operated on him, “the chances of being killed by a bus are 10 times greater than from donating a kidney.”

It makes for a great story: “Priest donates kidney to save life of parishioner.” However, there is much more to this tale. Those involved say that, with each twist and turn, God left a brilliant trail of spiritual gems — a signature assortment of events that add up to much more than mere coincidences.

You’ll want to read the rest to find out how it all happened.